If your SEO strategy is based on what you would Google, it’s probably off. Not because you’re not smart—but because you’re biased.
You know your brand. You know your product. You think in clean categories and clever language. But your prospects? They’re searching in fragments, guesses, and late-night desperation. And if you’re not meeting them there—you’re invisible.
What You Think They Search:
- • “Enterprise-level digital transformation consultant”
- • “Optimised AI-based CRM solutions”
- • “Boutique fractional CMO services”
What They’re Actually Typing:
- • “how do i get more customers online”
- • “cheap crm that doesn’t suck”
- • “hire someone to fix my marketing”
See the gap?
Your Audience Isn’t Dumb—They’re Distracted
People don’t search like they’re writing a proposal. They search like they’re texting a friend—fast, emotional, and with half the context missing.
Understanding real user search behavior isn’t just a technical SEO thing—it’s a business intelligence thing. It’s how you build intent-driven content that actually shows up when it matters.
You’re not just optimizing for keywords. You’re aligning with how people think in the moment they need you most.
Here’s What Most Businesses Get Wrong
- They keyword-stuff with industry jargon. Great for impressing competitors, terrible for reaching buyers.
- They assume logic leads search. Nope. Emotion, urgency, and confusion drive search. Logic comes later—usually after they’ve clicked something that felt right.
- They build content for peers, not prospects. Writing for other marketers or founders? Cool. But if your ideal buyer isn’t one of them, your SEO’s off-target.
- They overlook question-based queries. Most high-converting search terms come as full questions. Not “SaaS demand gen”—but “how to get more SaaS leads without ads.”
What to Do Instead
1. Mine Real Language
Check your DMs, customer emails, support tickets, Reddit threads, even YouTube comments. Anywhere people are unfiltered—that’s gold. That’s how they actually talk. That’s how they search.
Turn phrases like:
- • “This whole thing confuses me”
- • “What’s the best option for a solo founder?”
- • “I don’t even know where to start”
Into content pillars that answer their questions, solve their friction, and match their mindset.
2. Optimise for Intent, Not Volume
The #1 mistake? Chasing search volume instead of search depth. You don’t need 10,000 random clicks. You need 100 people with a pain point you solve better than anyone else.
Find the long-tail. Go after the “low-competition” phrases competitors ignore. These are buyers who know what they want—they just don’t know you deliver it yet.
3. Build Keyword Ecosystems
Don’t stop at one keyword. Think in clusters.
If someone searches “how to improve landing page conversions,” they might also want:
- • “best CTA examples”
- • “landing page design tips”
- • “tools to A/B test a landing page”
Own the whole conversation. Link content together. Let Google see you as an authority across a topic—not a one-hit blog wonder.
4. Use Search to Reverse-Engineer Sales
Search data isn’t just for visibility—it’s a window into your buyer’s mind. If people are Googling “how to scale marketing without hiring,” maybe your offer needs to be reframed. That’s product insight. That’s positioning clarity.
Don’t just rank. Learn. Adjust. Sell better.
Search Is a Mirror, Not a Megaphone
You’re not here to shout what you do. You’re here to show up where your audience is already asking for help. When you understand how people actually search, your marketing becomes less about convincing—and more about connecting.
And the best part? Once you show up at the right moment, with the right language, in the right format—you’ve already won half the battle.
